Brandon Road Lock and Dam Historic District
Why it's listed
Brandon Road Lock and Dam, on the Des Plaines River at the south end of Joliet, Illinois, is a navigation complex built by the State of Illinois between 1927 and 1933. The district includes a lock with a 110-by-600-foot chamber and a 34-foot lift, a 2,372-foot concrete and earth dam, a junction lock that once gave barges access to the Illinois and Michigan Canal, a drawbridge, and a brick control station with Jacobethan-style gables. Walter Mickle Smith, Chief Design Engineer for the Illinois Waterway project, is considered the designer. The facility opened in 1933 as part of the slackwater system linking Chicago with the Mississippi River. It was listed for its part in the waterway's transportation and industrial history and as a representative example of Army Corps of Engineers-approved lock and dam construction. It still operates and keeps water levels steady between Lockport and Joliet. Its 1933 electric headgate hoists are noted as a rare surviving type.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1927-1951 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Other: lock and dam; No Style: control station |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Maritime History, Engineering |
| Acreage | 92.9 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Brandon Road Lock and Dam Historic District (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.